Tired of warrants, inmates seek death
- Two Beur undertrials write to President

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Patna, March 20: Two inmates at Beur Central Jail in Patna have demanded capital punishment for themselves to get rid of the cycle of production warrants pending against them in different trial courts in the country.

The two undertrials — Sudama Paswan and Pramod Mishra — were arrested in 2006 on the charge of hatching a series of Maoist-related incidents in and outside Bihar. The duo have threatened to launch an indefinite fast on March 23, the day associated with the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, inside the prison in support of their demand.

The prisoners, who were also facing the sedition charge, wrote letters to the President, Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India on January 20. They requested to be awarded capital punishment for their alleged offences.

“I am tired of production warrants issued from different courts apparently to delay the trial process,” the letter, a copy of which is with The Telegraph, read.

The superintendent of Beur Central Jail, Shivendra Priyadarshi, refused to comment on the prisoners’ demand. “I am not authorised to share any information with the media,” he said.

The undertrials, in the letter, expressed surprise at getting copies of production warrants issued by courts outside the state.

One of the production warrants against Mishra, a resident of Aurangabad, was issued in January this year. The warrant was issued by an Andhra Pradesh court for his appearance in connection with a case lodged with Karim Nagar police station in the southern state.

Paswan, a resident of Masaurhi in Patna rural, also got two production warrants last year in spite of a trial pending already against him in a Maoist-related incident for the past four years.

Paswan has been made accused in four cases. While two were lodged with the Dhanarua police station, one case each was registered with the Naubatpur and Masaurhi police stations in Patna district. While Paswan was granted bail in three cases, he was denied bail in a case lodged with the Dhanarua police station seven times by Patna High Court.

“The witnesses have not been produced in the trial court headed by additional district and sessions judge (II) for the past four years,” the letter claimed.

It also claimed that several Maoists, languishing in different jails of the state, were faced with similar difficulties.

“The motive behind the whole exercise is to deny bail to the accused on the one hand and delay the trial process on the other,” the letter said, adding that the move has caused strong resentment among the undertrials.